Members of Brock’s Women in Leadership Initiative recently gathered in-person for the first time since 2020, coming together to hear Brock University President Lesley Rigg speak about “invisible leadership.”

The hybrid event, which was also streamed online, saw Rigg share a vision of leadership that relies on redrawing perceptions of leaders and inviting others to do the same.

“We get into leadership roles because we care and because we’re passionate about what we do,” Rigg said. But she was also candid about the effects of gender bias, which she likened to “a tonne of feathers,” and the constant need for “flicking off feathers” while navigating each day.

She reflected on the importance of creating inclusive environments and of promoting opportunities for service and leadership within such environments, challenging the audience to consider, “How can we create an environment that encourages leadership, that encourages creativity and innovation?”

Brock President Lesley Rigg spoke about the concept of “invisible leadership” during the Women in Leadership event on Friday, March 31.

Rigg emphasized the importance of thoughtfulness, reminding the audience that no one sees the amount of consideration that goes into a decision, but that leading without thinking is merely reacting.

Following the main presentation, PhD candidate Caroline Hummell spoke about the newly launched Deborah Rosati Women in Leadership Mentorship program, which is currently recruiting for mentors and mentees.

The event also included a reception sponsored by Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada (SWAAC), which will host its annual conference at Western University this spring. Megha Ajmani of Western University attended the reception and invited members of the Brock community to register for the conference — a call that resonates deeply in a community that itself grew out of inspiration experienced by some Brock leaders at the 2018 SWAAC conference.

Ingrid Makus, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, was thrilled to see both familiar and new faces gathered to hear from Brock’s seventh president.

“We were delighted that Dr. Rigg was able to join us and share many insights on academic leadership and engaging with work that you’re passionate about,” Makus said. “This has been an opportunity for Women in Leadership to have a full-circle moment, and it’s amazing to see that what started with some inspired conversations following a SWAAC conference has now, five years later, grown into a space where so many at Brock and in the community can be supported as they aim to achieve and succeed in leadership.”

Women in Leadership continues to organize monthly meetings where speakers share insights from their own leadership journeys and inspire others to consider forging their own paths to leadership. Many of the sessions, including this one, were recorded and are available to view online with a Brock login.

Anyone interested in taking part in future sessions can join the WIL channel on Microsoft Teams or to contact Jeannie Mackintosh to be added to the WIL email distribution list.